profligate

[ prof-li-git, -geyt ]

/ ˈprɒf lɪ gɪt, -ˌgeɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR profligate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute.

recklessly prodigal or extravagant.

noun

a profligate person.

Origin of profligate

1525–35; < Latin prōflīgātus broken down in character, degraded, orig. past participle of prōflīgāre to shatter, debase, equivalent to prō- pro-¹ + -flīgāre, derivative of flīgere to strike; see inflict, -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR profligate

1 abandoned, licentious.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR profligate ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM profligate

prof·li·gate·ly, adverb prof·li·gate·ness, noun

Words nearby profligate

profitable, profiteer, profiteering, profiterole, profligacy, profligate, profluent, proformiphen, profound, profoundly deaf, profumo

Example sentences from the Web for profligate

As understandable from an industry perspective as this practice may have been, profligate use of these vital medications must end.

When Antibiotics Don’t Work, It’s Everyone’s Problem |Russell Saunders |May 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Moreover, the settlements rely for their subsistence on profligate funding and services provided by the state of Israel.

Partition Skepticism and the Future of the Peace Process |Avner Inbar, Assaf Sharon |September 25, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The same day, one of the most reckless and profligate home lenders reported far less impressive results.

Freddie Mac’s Profits Obscure Housing-Boom Damage |Daniel Gross |March 3, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
During the cold war he was, in a sense, on the left—he regarded it as a profligate waste of American resources.

“The Patriarch”: Joseph Kennedy Sr.’s Outsized Life |Jacob Heilbrunn |November 21, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

And nothing offends those sensibilities more profoundly than profligate spending and runaway debt.

Mitt Romney’s Advantage: Square, Frugal Identity |Michael Medved |June 4, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Link a man to the pulpit, and he cannot proceed to any great lengths in profligate life.

An History of Birmingham (1783) |William Hutton
Although Edgar was a profligate, he was a sensible man, and my story made him furious.

The Memoires of Casanova, Complete |Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
Young, giddy, inexperienced and wilful, she was cast headlong into the most profligate court of Christendom.

Carey & Hart's Catalog (1852) |Edward Carey
If you spend your nights in public, you're a profligate; and if you spend them at home, you're a secret drinker.

The Transgression of Andrew Vane |Guy Wetmore Carryl
We were told that they are a profligate set, like too many of their class elsewhere, and enjoyed a certain immunity from the laws.

Due West |Maturin Murray Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for profligate

profligate

/ (ˈprɒflɪɡɪt) /

adjective

shamelessly immoral or debauched

wildly extravagant or wasteful

noun

a profligate person

Derived forms of profligate

profligacy (ˈprɒflɪɡəsɪ), noun profligately, adverb

Word Origin for profligate

C16: from Latin prōflīgātus corrupt, from prōflīgāre to overthrow, from pro- 1 + flīgere to beat

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

profligate

adjective

noun

Origin of profligate

SYNONYMS FOR profligate

OTHER WORDS FROM profligate

Words nearby profligate

Example sentences from the Web for profligate

British Dictionary definitions for profligate

adjective

noun

Derived forms of profligate

Word Origin for profligate

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

profligate

adjective

noun

Origin of profligate

SYNONYMS FOR profligate

OTHER WORDS FROM profligate

Words nearby profligate

Words related to profligate

Example sentences from the Web for profligate

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adjective

noun

Derived forms of profligate

Word Origin for profligate

British Dictionary definitions for profligate